White Paper

The Evolution of Micro-Cables

Justin Quinn, Product Development Engineer

ABSTRACT
Fiber optic cables have evolved over the years as the demand for bandwidth to support communication needs has increased exponentially. In
particular, the fiber density—the ratio of the number of optical fibers to the cable outer area—has continued to increase. Today, ultra-high
density, micro-cables are commonly used in applications where space is limited. This can include micro-cables that are blown into ducts or
routed through data centers. In each case, cables are designed to be compact, yet provide the robustness required to protect the optical
fibers. This paper will review the evolution of, and assess the performance of micro-cables, and look ahead to future designs.
Keywords: Micro-Cable; Micro-Duct; Duct Cable; Optical Fiber; Fiber density; Premise Cable; Data Center; Air Blown Fiber;
SpiderWeb Ribbon®; SWR®; HFFR.

1. INTRODUCTION
The primary purpose of a fiber optic cable is to protect the optical fiber contained within. During installation and throughout the life of
a cable, it may be exposed to a variety of mechanical forces and environmental conditions. As such, stakeholders have worked together
to develop several documents that identify typical conditions to which cables may be exposed, depending on the application, and define
performance expectations under such conditions. For example, Telcordia Technologies has published GR-20-Core, Generic Requirements for
Optical Fiber and Optical Fiber Cable, and the Insulated Cable Engineer Association has published ANSI/ICEA S-87-640, Standard for Optical
Fiber Outside Plant Communications Cables.
While traditional aerial and direct buried applications require a robust cable that is capable of withstanding severe forces as described in the
aforementioned industry documents, these cables are often over-designed for many applications. Particularly in FTTx environments, where
higher fiber density and reduced cable diameter is preferred, many applications allow for alternate designs that may not be as rugged as
traditional cables. Such cables are often referred to as micro-cables. This paper will focus on micro-cables that are designed for three different
applications: outside plant (OSP) cables for use in micro-ducts, indoor cables for use outside of ducts, and indoor cables for use within micro-
ducts.

2. OSP CABLE
2.1 Traditional OSP Cable
Outer Polyethylene Jacket

OSP cables typically consist of loose groups of fibers within buffer tubes, where multiple tubes are Buffer Tube

SZ stranded together over a central strength member (CSM). The stranded core may be covered
Corrugated Steel Armor
with additional strength members and/or corrugated armor along with the outer jacket(s). Figure
1 shows the construction of a typical OSP cable, suitable for direct burial.
Traditional OSP cables are often designed and tested to meet the requirements of GR-20-Core.
In particular, this standard defines test methods and criteria to determine impact and compression
Central Strength Member
resistance, tensile strength, and operating temperature ranges for cables. The buffer tube material and
dimensions can have a significant impact on each of these characteristics.
Figure 1—Traditional OSP Cable

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Optical fibers use light waves to transmit signals. As the light wave travels down the fiber, some of the power is naturally lost as light escapes
from the core. In addition, macro-bends and micro-bends of the fiber can cause additional attenuation losses. For example, as the buffer tube
contracts at the cold operating temperature, the fiber may buckle if there is not enough free space within the buffer tube, creating significant
macro-bending loss. Alternatively, if fibers are pulled taut against a rough buffer tube surface under the tensile loads and bends applied
during and after installation, fibers may experience significant micro-bending loss.
In order to overcome these issues, buffer tubes have traditionally utilized a large inner diameter (ID) to provide considerable free space
for the fibers, resulting in a large outer diameter (OD). The large OD allows for a large CSM, which contributes significantly to the tensile
strength of the cable and limits contraction at cold temperatures. However, this design results in a large cable OD, and therefore, low fiber
density. Fiber density is defined as the ratio of the number of fibers to the cross-sectional area of the cable. For the 72 fiber, traditional
OSP cable shown in Figure 1, the fiber density is 46 cm-2.
2.2 OSP Micro-Duct Cable
Fiber optic ducts, typically plastic tubes, have been used since 1981 as a conduit to route cables and limit their exposure to many external
forces.1 Initially, the ducts used traditional OSP cables, but they were often over-designed for these applications. Naturally, cable manufacturers
quickly began developing smaller, less robust cables to take advantage of this technology. As cable sizes continued to decrease, duct
manufacturers were able to develop smaller ducts. In the 1990s, this led to the development of multi-tube ducts. Where a traditional, 1¼”
duct, was suitable for one 288 fiber cable, the 1¼” multi-duct, containing five micro-ducts, was suitable for five 72 fiber micro-cables. This
increased the fiber density of the duct system by 25% and started a trend that has continued into the 2010s.
Micro-duct cables were included in the third issue of GR-20-Core, which was released in 2008, although no requirements were defined. The
fourth issue, released in 2013, refers to the requirements of IEC 60794-5-10 and allows for testing at lower levels than traditional OSP cable
(since cables are installed within protective ducts). This is important to understand since, for a given fiber count, the size of the individual
components—buffer tube, CSM, and outer jacket—must decrease for fiber density to increase.
A reduction in the buffer tube size may result in a less compression resistant tube and less free space for the fibers within the tube, making
the cable less resistant to compressive loads. Figure 2 shows the difference in compression resistance for a traditional buffer tube with fiber
density of 210 cm-2 (low density) versus a smaller tube, made with the same materials, with fiber density of 580 cm-2 (high density).

Buffer Tube Compression Resistance

Force

Low Density
High Density

Displacement

Figure 2—Buffer Tube Compression Resistance

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Although the data presented indicates that the buffer tube with higher fiber density is less compression resistant than the traditional tube,
cable tests of recently developed micro-duct cables meet the standard requirements (standard loads) for compression resistance and impact
resistance. This can be attributed to the construction of new micro-cables and the improved quality of today’s optical fibers, as well as some
overdesign in the traditional OSP cable designs.
Additionally, the reduced tube size and free space within the tube reduces the fiber strain free window, or the amount of strain applied to the
cable before the fibers begin to experience strain. In loose tube cables where the buffer tube is stranded over a CSM, the fibers will actually
pull to the inside wall of the tube, since this is the shortest path, prior to experiencing strain. Assuming the buffer tube has no excess fiber
length (EFL), the strain free window, ∆H, can be estimated by calculating the relative change due to the difference in the helix along the
centerline of the tube and the helix when the fibers pull to the inside wall of the tube. This is shown in Equation 1:

l2 + π2D2CL l2 + π2(DCL - Deff)2

∆H =
l2 + π2D2CL

l is the lay length of the tubes, DCL is the sum of the CSM OD and the buffer tube OD, and Deff is the difference of the buffer tube ID and the
fiber bundle diameter.2 In the event that the tube contains some EFL, it is added to ∆H to estimate the strain free window. However, tubes with
higher fiber density have much less free space, and are prone to macro-bending losses as EFL increases.
Further, a reduction in size of the CSM, a significant contributor to the overall strength of the cable, results in higher cable strain than traditional
OSP cables under the same tensile load. When combined with the reduced strain free window, OSP micro-duct cables are rated at lower
tensile loads to limit the strain on the fibers. However, since these cables are jetted or blown into the micro-ducts, reduced tensile ratings are
acceptable, and as shown in Table 1, significant increases in fiber density are achievable.

Table 1—Fiber Density Comparison for OSP Cables

FIBER DENSITY (cm-2)
FIBER COUNT
TRADITIONAL OSP CABLE* MICR0-DUCT CABLE
72 69 159
144 63 294
288 91 224
432 114 346
*Non-Armored Single Jacket Cable

2.3 Future Development of Micro-Duct Cables

Recent development of 200 µm optical fibers will allow additional increases in fiber density, both with traditional OSP cables and micro-duct cables.

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OSP Cable

2000 2004
72 Fiber Micro-Cable 72 Fiber Micro-Duct Cable,
Jacketed FIMT Light Duty
303 per cm2 239 per cm2
1980
72 Fiber Traditional OSP Cable
46 per cm2

2009
2010 144 Fiber Micro-Duct Cable
72 Fiber Micro-Duct Cable 294 per cm2
159 per cm2

2014
IEC 60794-5-10

2015
2013 2013
288 Fiber Micro-Duct Cable
224 per cm2
GR-20, I4 2014
432 Fiber
Micro-Duct Cable
346 per cm2

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Outer Flame-retardant Jacket

3. INDOOR CABLES
3.1 Traditional Tight Buffered Cables Flame-retardant Sub-unit Jacket

In transitioning from OSP cables to indoor cables, the requirements change significantly,
so the constructions of these cables change as well. Notably, indoor cables must be flame 900 µm Tight Buffered Fiber

retardant, so that in the event of a fire, the cables will not propagate the flame and smoke
throughout the structure. Further, cables must be more flexible to facilitate installation and
Flexible Strength Members
fibers should allow for connectorization.
To support these alternate requirements, traditional indoor cables utilize 900 µm tight Figure 3—Traditional Indoor Cable
buffered fibers, semi-rigid or non-rigid strength members, and flame-retardant buffer and
jacket materials. Figure 3 shows the construction of a typical indoor backbone cable with a fiber density of 25 cm-2.
Traditional Indoor Cables are often designed and tested to meet the requirements of Telcordia’s GR-409-Core. Again, this standard defines
test methods and criteria to determine impact and compression resistance, tensile strength, and operating temperature ranges for cables.
Similar to OSP cables, materials and dimensions of indoor cables can have a significant impact on each of these characteristics. While this
standard does distinguish between light duty interconnect cables and heavy duty backbone cables, it does not include requirements for
indoor duct cables.
3.2 Indoor Micro-Cables
Since optical fibers are capable of carrying so much bandwidth, low fiber count cables are suitable for most single family residences. However,
some applications, such as data centers, require high fiber count cables and benefit greatly from high fiber density, as they require less space
and are less restrictive to air flow.
Because these cables may be installed directly, that is outside of ducts, they are designed to meet the requirements for backbone cables. In this
sense, cables meet the same mechanical, environmental and safety requirements as traditional, tight buffered indoor cables. However, because
of the application and connector options, as early as 2002, early micro-cables were developed where bare fibers replaced tight buffered fibers.
As seen in Figure 4, the change from tight buffered fiber to bare fiber provides an avenue to reduce the cable diameter and increase fiber
density. However, additional changes are required. For one, the multimode fibers used in many indoor cables are more sensitive to macro-
bending and micro-bending than single mode fibers used in most OSP cables. In traditional indoor designs, the tight buffer over the fiber
minimizes the fiber’s exposure to these conditions. To limit these effects without the tight buffer, the choice of flame-retardant jacket material
becomes critical.
Traditional flame-retardant jacket materials used for indoor cables include fluoropolymers and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). There are advantages
to each, but engineered PVC compounds are preferred because of their cost and customizable physical properties.

72 Fiber Indoor Cable 72 Fiber Indoor Micro-Cable

Figure 4—Scaled Indoor Cable Comparison

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In addition to mechanical protection, the flame retardant jacket materials limit flame spread and smoke generation when cables are exposed
to fire. Commonly in data centers, cables are installed in plenum locations, and cables must be rated for use in these locations. Figure 5
shows the results of a 72 fiber indoor micro-cable with fiber density of 136 cm-2 when exposed to the plenum flame test as described in NFPA
262. As shown, the flame spread is well below the limit of 5 ft. and the peak optical density is well below the limit of 0.5. Throughout the
late 2000s and into the 2010s, cable manufacturers and PVC compounders have collaborated to develop higher performing flame retardant
materials, allowing for continued increase in fiber density and fiber count per cable.

Optical Density Flame Propagation

1 10
0.9 9

Flame Propagation (ft)

0.8 8
Optical Density

0.7 7
0.6 6
0.5 5
0.4 4
0.3 3
0.2 2
0.1 1
0 0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20

Time (Minutes)
Figure 5—NFPA 262 Results for Indoor Micro-Cable

As shown in Table 2, with the proper materials and design, indoor micro-cables can meet the same mechanical, environmental and safety
performance levels as traditional indoor cables with significantly reduced cable OD and increased fiber density. Further, micro-cables allow
for higher fiber counts, including the GR-409-Core horizontal backbone compliant 288 fiber cable developed earlier this year.

Table 2—Fiber Density Comparison for Indoor Cables

FIBER DENSITY (cm-2)
FIBER COUNT
TRADITIONAL INDOOR CABLE* INDOOR MICR0-CABLE
72 25 136
96 23 111
144 28 130
288 — 108

3.3 Indoor Micro-Duct Cables

For many of the same reasons that micro-duct cables are beneficial in OSP environments, they are also beneficial in indoor environments.
Similar to OSP micro-duct cables, indoor micro-duct cables are jetted or blown into ducts with compressed air. However, in this case, the
micro-ducts are tubes made of flame retardant plastics, and can be independently safety listed, enabling future system expansions.
Once again the micro-duct prevents these cables from exposure to many mechanical forces. However, the most recent revision of GR-409-Core,
released in 2008, does not address indoor micro-duct cables. While the previously discussed indoor micro-cables can be used within ducts,
development of ultra-high fiber density indoor micro-duct cables, also called air blown fiber, began in 2009. These cables are designed and tested
to meet the requirements of interconnect cables.

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Material selection is again critical as these cables must meet the same safety requirements as other indoor cables, while providing the
proper stiffness for proper installation. Replacing buffered subunits with bundled fibers allows for ultra-high fiber density. Figure 6
compares a 72 fiber indoor micro-duct cable with a fiber density of 453 cm-2 to the previously discussed Indoor Micro-Cable.

72 Fiber Indoor Micro-Cable 72 Fiber Micro-Duct Cable

Figure 6—Scaled Indoor Micro-Cable Comparison

3.4 Future Development of Indoor Micro-Cables

In addition to development with 200 µm fibers, work is ongoing with SpiderWeb Ribbon (SWR). Unlike traditional ribbon, SWR consists of
250 µm fibers fixed intermittently with UV curable resin. As such, the ribbon can be easily formed into a bundle within a cable, and unrolled
for mass fusion splicing. Alternatively, the fibers can be easily separated.3 Development work is also ongoing with Halogen Free Flame
Retardant materials.

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Indoor Cable

2001 2004
72 Fiber
72 Fiber
Interconnect Cable
Micro-Cable
1990 127 per cm2
74 per cm2
72 Fiber
Traditional Indoor Cable
25 per cm2

2011 2010 2009

24 Fiber
72 Fiber GR-409, 12
Interconnect Cable
Micro-Duct Cable
2012 SpiderWeb® Ribbon
340 per cm2
453 per cm2
72 Fiber Micro-Cable
136 per cm2

2012 2015
96 Fiber Micro-Cable 2013
111 per cm2 144 Fiber Micro-Cable
130 per cm2 2014
288 Fiber Micro-Cable
108 per cm2

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4. CONCLUSIONS
Since 1974, when the first optical cable system was deployed in Long Beach, California, optical fibers, cables and systems have changed to meet
the needs of customers.4 In particular, micro-cables, smaller cables with higher fiber density than traditional cables, are evolving, with current
designs suitable for a variety of applications, including backbone networks and FTTx. These cable constructions support the need for higher fiber
density and smaller cable diameter. Additionally, since cables can be blown in when needed, installers can realize a reduction in initial investment
costs. Utilizing improved, bend-insensitive fibers, higher performing flame retardant materials, and innovative cable and duct designs, today’s
micro-cables comply with industry developed performance standards and appropriately protect the optical fibers.

5. REFERENCES
1. http://www.duraline.com/content/history
2. http://www.maths-in-industry.org/miis/485/1/Modelling-optical-fibre-cable.pdf
3. M. Yamanaka, K. Osato, K. Tomikawa, D. Takeda, M. Isaji, N. Okada, “Ultra-high density optical fiber cable with SpiderWeb Ribbon®,”
Proceedings of the 61st IWCS Conference, pp. 37-41.
4. Vivek Alwayn, Optical Network Design and Implementation. (2004).

6. AUTHOR
Justin Quinn is a Product Development Engineer for Cable Systems at AFL. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from
Clemson University in 2000, and began his career in fiber optics that year. In his current role, Justin is responsible for development of micro-duct,
OSP loose tube, ADSS and premise cables. Prior to joining AFL in 2012, Justin held various process and development engineering roles with
Alcatel and Draka Communications. Justin has been granted eight U.S. patents and has authored multiple white papers.

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